01 September 2013

Guest Post: Storage Tips

This is a guest post, and not written by Venus Trapped in Mars.

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How to keep your belongings in the same condition while on a holiday.

By Robert Barlow

Storage is about keeping your possessions fresh, in the same state you put them in. However it’s easier to state your intentions to keep things a certain way, than to actually get it done. It often turns out that storage is more like a delaying tactic than a preventative one. In order to really get your money’s worth it takes a little extra cash and a little extra effort, but it’s well worth it.

Pick your boxes carefully

Everything should be kept in boxes as you store it, with the exception of things that are too big to fit. However just any box won't do, too many let in smells, damp, wear and tear and all manner of other things. To that end it’s a good idea to pick your own boxes specially. A selection of containers is available from the Fort Knox storage boxes range and they come with a guarantee of quality. The best for long term storage, particularly of a large amount of items, are the archive boxes. Made of extra strength material that can be easily sealed for the sake of keeping things preserved as long as possible.

Too much is better than not enough

When it comes to packing things into storage you will never know when you've used too much but it’s going to be plainly obvious when you haven't used enough. Purchase a vacuum sealed bag or a furniture cover inside the box, in addition to things like bubble wrap to ensure the integrity of the products structure. If you can fit what you need to put in the box, every spare inch should be full of things designed to prevent damage and mould.

Check the conditions of your storage space

You can take every step you like, until you've lost your mind and you're certain you've done right but it will all be for nothing if you don't pick your location properly. Think about the conditions you need things to be in. Will too much cold invite damp? Are you in an environment that will encourage sun bleaching or dust? What are the particular needs of your items? Find these conditions before you even look at what you're going to keep your things in.

Stacking Etiquette

Impact is the greatest bane of stored objects, you're storing your items because you need them entirely undamaged, and having them fall when pushed out of the way or toppling over time because they were poorly stacked is almost guaranteed to break something. To this end make sure you get boxes of the same size stacked together, and keep room for foot traffic between them. You'll need it.

It’s difficult to keep things stored in the same condition for a long time. Time damages everything and no matter what we do we can't avoid that. However the longer and better we store it the more likely it is that you'll get twice your money’s worth before the damage.